For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. (Romans 12:3, CSB)
At our club in Southern California, we have an 11-year-old golfer who has a natural gift for the game and is so confident. At the range he will ask, “You want to see a stinger, a draw, a cut, or knockdown shot?” And sure enough he hits it, perfectly!
I love his confidence. In someone older, we might say he is too confident, maybe cocky or proud. So I hope he gets some good guidance toward humility before then. We all look better when we are truly humble.
Getting into today’s scripture, Paul knew about being humble. With his success and background before he became a Christ-follower, he was very confident as a human being. Even in one of his letters, 2 Corinthians, he started listing his “accomplishments” and confessed to laying it on pretty thick. As with many of us, God had to keep bringing Paul back to humility.
By the time he wrote to the Romans, Paul’s lessons were beginning to stick. So he instructed the believers in Rome not to think of themselves more highly than they should: “Instead, think sensibly.” Notice, he didn’t say that we should never think about ourselves and where we stand. But we should be careful when we do this to be honest with ourselves. We’re not the bigshots we think we are!
I have to remind myself all the time that I am saved by God’s grace. I need to hold on tightly to him.Paul went on to say that God has given us each a different measure of faith. This means we need to be humble when looking at our spiritual lives, too. Do I think I’m a better Christian than the next person? Closer to God? More holy? Maybe today I’m doing pretty well, but tomorrow, when temptation comes my way, I could stumble and need restoration before God. This should be enough to keep all of us humble.
Golf reminds me of that all the time. Some days I will go out on the golf course and make putts without thinking; then the next time out, I can’t make anything! I start doubting myself and then, of course, I start blaming it on my putter. My friend reminds me: “It’s not the putter but the puttee.”
Faith is very much like that. Some days we have strong faith and some days we doubt, fear, and question God. During the current pandemic, I have heard stories and talked to many Links Players, and I know we can relate to what I am saying. Our faith is being challenged almost every day. So I have to remind myself all the time that I am saved by God’s grace. I need to hold on tightly to him in these unknown waters.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is a passage I share a lot with others. Many of you know it already. It helps me when I need a boost in my faith. I hope it helps you today, too.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.
—
Dereck Wong
July 8, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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